This alley, located in the working class Cayo Hueso neighborhood, serves as an open-air Afro-Cuban religion sanctuary, the work of local artist Salvador González. Its walls are adorned with evocative Santería murals paying homage to various religious belief systems of African origin. It hosts the famous Afro-Cuban rumbas that take place every Sunday afternoon. González, a self-trained artist, will be present. In addition to live and lively dancing and drumming, the Callejón hosts an art gallery and art school for neighborhood children. From its inception, González has refused funding from various government cultural institutions, preferring to support his activities from the sale of art work and donations.

[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own; We will recommend a restaurant or paladar.

[3] Monday, 5 January 2015

[7:00 am] – Buffet breakfast at the hotel

[9:30 am] – We’ll take a motorcoach 85 kilometers east

from Havana to Matanzas

[12:30 pm] – lunch at Restaurant Velazco

[2:00 pm] - Ediciones Vigia in Matanzas

The publishing house Ediciones Vigía, founded in 1985,

produces hand- made, limited run, one-of-a-kind books.

Members of the Vigía cooperative take on egalitarian

roles, printing, cutting, pasting, editing and binding each

book. We will watch them in action as well as engage in

discussion about Cuban publishing. Some copies of their

titles will be available.

[4:30 pm] – Return to Havana.

[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own; We will recommend a restaurant or paladar.

Tuesday, 6 January 2015

[7:00 am] – Buffet breakfast at the hotel

[9:30 am] -Ferry ride across Havana Bay to the town of Regla

[9:45 am] - Visit Our Lady of Regla Church, a church built

in homage to the Black Virgin, with a breathtaking gilt

altar beneath an arched ceiling. The black Madonna is the

patron saint of sailors. The church, a community, human-

scale affair, serves a neighborhood that includes women

who greet visitors and predict their future.

[10:15 am] - Guanabacoa Museum (Museum - Religious)

This one-of-a-kind museum located in a town adjoining

Havana, comprises objects of the popular Cuban religions

of African origins: Regla de Osha, Reglas Congas and the

Abakuá Secret Religious Societies. A guide will show,

through exhibits and description, the history of Cubans

brought from West Africa to the island, and how these

slaves maintained their beliefs and mixed them with

Catholicism. The result was syncretism, which today

defines the various Afro-Cuban religions.

[12:30 pm] - Doña Carmela - paladar

Excellent food in a garden offering criolla and international

cuisine. Known for its friendly and efficient service, dining

at Doña Carmela takes place in the backyard of a private

residence under trellises designed for the paladar.

[3:00 pm] -Ernest Hemingway's Finca La Vigía,(Museum -

History Museum)

We’ll visit Ernest Hemingway’s Finca La Vigía,, located on

a hilltop in the village of San Francisco de Paula southeast

of Havana. The home has recently been the subject

of a massive effort by the National Trust for Historic

Preservation to arrange the it just as the author left it in

1961. The grounds include the cemetery for Hemingway’s

many cats, a swimming pool, and his famous sport-fishing

boat, the Pilar. Out-buildings on the grounds house the

Hemingway archives, where documents he left behind

still exist. Finca Vigía and the fishing village of Cojímar–

from which the old man left for the sea– are considered

the most significant locales for those interested in

Hemingway’s life and writing.

[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own; We will recommend a restaurant or paladar.

[5] Wednesday, 7 January 2015

[7:00 am] -Breakfast at the hotel

[9:30 am] -Theater activity

Visit Teatro Bertolt Brecht, where Cuban director Edgar

Estaco and playwright Pedro Ángel Verá will host a

discussion on Cuban theater, contemporary and historical,

followed by a rehearsal for the play in production.

[11:00 am] -La Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba

(The Patronato)

We’ll visit La Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba (El

Patronato), the Jewish community center that works to

preserve the traditions and pride of Judaism on the island.

This venue is located on the ground floor of a renovated

synagogue that annually hosts High Holy Day services. The

Patronato pharmacy accepts donated over-the-counter

medicines, available to any Cuban who walks in. Adela

Dworin, President of the Patronato, will brief us on the

history of Cuban Jews.

[12:30 pm] - El Aljibe Criolla cuisine Restaurant

This friendly open air restaurant in the Miramar district is known for its classic Criolla food. In mid- 2015, a novel called Sofrito will be published in the States in

which this restaurant, identified as El Ajillo, plays a major role.

[2:30 pm] - Rooftop literary mixer Cuban writers, poets,

A rare and informative event, this literary mixer at

the fifth-floor walk-up Centro Habana rooftop home of

internationally published poet Reina María Rodríguez

offers an opportunity to meet Cuban writers, poets, and

others in the country’s literary world. A bilingual poetry

reading concludes the visit.

[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own; We will recommend a restaurant or paladar.